J'Imagine
by TheLastSaskDragonRider
Summary: J'Imagine (I Believe) Modern Canada AU. Winter in Canada lasts most of the year, the only comfort that Hiccup has against the cold is his family, Astrid, and hockey.
1. Canadiens vs Leafs

_J'Imagine (I Believe)_

 _I haven't seen an AU like this one around yet. I was watching the HTTYD Olympic vignettes that DreamWorks did for the 2010 Vancouver Games, and was watching some of Jay Baruchel's interviews talking about being Canadian, so this AU was born. Tbh I was planning for this to be a nice fluffy fic with Hiccup and Astrid making midnight runs to Tims and playing hockey, etc., etc., but it did not turn out that way. So have fun with this mess of hurt/comfort and angst._

 _The title "J'Imagine" (not pronounced jay-imagine, but closer to jee-imagine (j-ee-ma-jeen...?)) or "I Believe" is the 2010 Vancouver Games' song. Here is the bilingual version song on youtube: youtube/ watch?v=Of57DdwdiNs_

 _The one shots in this collection (order, titles, etc. up to change):_

 _1: Canadiens vs Leafs: He like the Canadiens, and she likes the Leafs. Together, they can be the best team._

 _2: Game Face: For the first time in a little while, Stoick comes to one of Hiccup's games and Hiccup is determined to make this a good game, he can ignore that pain in his knee..._

 _3: Power of You and I: Terry Fox Runs, midnight Tim's runs, and hockey games._

 _4: Broken Peace: A father protects his own son._

 _5: Game 7: The Maple Leafs make it to the Stanley Cup. But Hiccup doesn't._

 _6: Homeward Bound: Sometimes all someone needs is a chance. And in this case, a best friend too._

 _Never a better day to post this other than Canada's 150th birthday. So Happy Canada Day, everyone! Fun Canada fact: Around 1000CE, Vikings found present day Newfoundland. Too bad they weren't on the back of dragons._

 _I hope you enjoy!_

* * *

 _1: Canadiens vs Leafs_

Winter in Canada lasts most of the year. The only real comfort to Hiccup was Toothless, his father and hockey.

Hiccup lived in St. John's, Newfoundland for his whole life. He loved the East coast with its dazzling sunrises, mild winters, and beautiful summers. His favourite memories included a trip to L'Anse aux Meadows with his father and mother, and playing hockey on the rink in his backyard with his friends, Camicazi and Thuggory.

Everything was happy for the Haddock family, though it was just Hiccup and his father – his mother was serving a tour overseas – until when Hiccup's father announced that they were going to moving halfway across the country. Hiccup was obviously upset, but maybe a new start was what Hiccup needed. Together with his dad and his cat, Toothless, their family moved halfway across the country.

New city presented new opportunities. There was a hockey rink a couple of blocks from Hiccup's new house. Family skating was open from one to four. For two hours after that, the rink was open to hockey players.

On the wall, there was a list of rules:

1) Hockey is open to all ages

2) Be respectful

3) Wear team bib in visible place

4) Standard NFL rules

5) Have fun

Hiccup picked up a red bib from the bin and skated on the rink with about a dozen other players. The Zamboni had just run over the rink, making the ice smooth and clear. Excitedly, someone tossed a puck onto the ice and the game was on. Smoothly, Hiccup took the puck and skated down the rink, easily handling the puck as he skated between two defenders. As he neared the goal, he lined up a shot and—

 _Slam_

Hiccup groaned in pain as he was slammed into the side boards by a player in a Maple Leafs jersey, a blue bib tied around their upper arm.

"Hey!" Hiccup yelled, rubbing his sore shoulder. "What was that for?"

"Stay out of the way."

Hiccup jumped in surprise as he realized the other was a girl. _Of course,_ he thought bitterly, _I could get tackled every run in football by a girl, on the hockey rink it's no different._

Shaking his head to get rid of the thoughts, he hurried after the girl towards the puck.

A little while later as public skating started again, Hiccup was untying his skates when someone sat down next to him.

"Sorry about that side-check earlier."

Looking up, Hiccup was surprised to see the girl in the Maple Leafs jersey from earlier. "Oh, no. It's okay," Hiccup said. "I'm used to it. Everyone tackles the talking fishbone."

She laughed and held out her hand. "Astrid. Astrid Hofferson."

"Hiccup Haddock," Hiccup said, shaking her hand.

"Hiccup?"

"Technically, it's Harold..." Hiccup mumbled.

She grinned and stood up as Hiccup finished putting on his boots. "Want to go get hot chocolate? My treat."

"You know the hot chocolate here is complimentary," Hiccup said, accepting her hand to help him get up.

"Of course," Astrid said with a wink.

As they were walking towards the hot chocolate table, Astrid asked, "Which hockey team is your favourite?"

" _Les Canadiens_ ," Hiccup said proudly. "Are you a Leafs fan?"

"Yeah, stop laughing," Astrid said as Hiccup laughed. "I do like the Flames if that makes you stop laughing at me."

"I'm not laughing," Hiccup said.

"Yeah right," she said, giving him a punch on the shoulder. "You are totally laughing at me."

"Fine," Hiccup said, managing to wipe the smile off his face.

She rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Okay, maybe they haven't won a Stanley Cup since like forever ago, but there's always going to be hope for them. There's enough hope for everyone." As they got their hot chocolate, Astrid said, "I haven't seen you around, are you new here?"

"Yeah, I just moved from St. John's a couple of weeks ago. My Dad and I finally unpacked the last of our boxes and I found my hockey gear so this is my first time here," Hiccup explained as he handed her a cup of hot chocolate.

"Cool, which school are you going to?"

"Lester B Person Colligiate I think," Hiccup said. "I'm in the French Immersion."

"Hey, that's the same school as me, but I'm in AP," Astrid said, giving him a light punch on the arm. "Why haven't I seen you around yet?"

"My dad is letting me settle down before going to school," Hiccup explained, rubbing the spot she had shoved him. "I'm starting next week."

"Cool! Give me you number and your first day, I'll show you around," Astrid said, giving him her phone.

Hiccup felt his cheeks turning red, but he quickly typed in his number. "So we're going to see each other a lot?"

"Yeah, of course!" Astrid said. "Maybe next time, we can go get some real hot chocolate from Tim's next week."

A smile broke over Hiccup's face and he nodded eagerly. "Yes, I would like that very much."

-xx—xx-

 _Buzz... buzz... buzz..._

Astrid groaned and rolled over as her phone rang, jarring her out of her sleep. It was a Saturday morning in mid November, nearly two months after she had met Hiccup, and she had fully intended on taking full intention of not having to get out of bed until the afternoon, but someone decided to call her. The first time, she ignored it. And the second. And the third.

By the fourth time, she reached out from the warm blankets and put her phone next to her ear. "What?" she said grumpily.

 _"Astrid! Why did you take so long to pick up?"_

Blinking confused, Astrid pulled back the blankets, the cold air in her room waking her up. "Hiccup? Why are you calling so early in the morning?"

 _"Look outside! Look outside!"_

Without bothering to get out of bed, she looked out the window from her place on the bed. She saw the grey sky, some soft snow flakes falling from the sky. "What is it? It's snowing, stay inside where it's warm."

 _"But it's snowing! And look out your window!"_

"Hiccup," Astrid said with a groan. "It's just snowing. The snow is going to be here for the next five months. Go back to sleep."

 _"Look out your window!"_

"No."

 _"Please?"_

"No."

 _"Please!"_

"I'm going back to sleep," Astrid announced. "Talk to you later."

 _"But—"_

Before he could finish, she hung up her phone, dropping it on the floor, and pulled the blankets over her head again. She started dozing off when she was jarred out of her sleep with a loud _THUMP._

Sitting up right, she looked around, trying to figure out what it was.

 _THUMP._

She turned around just in time to see a snowball hit her window. Angrily, she stopped over to the window to see Hiccup standing on the street, packing another snowball together. When he spotted her in the window, he pulled out his phone again and soon her phone on the floor started ringing.

Astrid couldn't help but smile as she answered her phone. "Hiccup. What are you doing outside?"

 _"It's snowing!"_ Hiccup said, waving his arms at the layer of snow that had covered the city over night.

"I can see it. Have you never seen snow before?"

 _"Of course I have, but still, it's snowing!"_

Astrid opened her mouth to protest, but Hiccup made a pouting face and Astrid sighed and said, "I'll be out in a moment."

"YES!"

Astrid didn't need the phone to hear Hiccup's victorious yell. After quickly changing, Astrid hurried outside to meet Hiccup.

Hiccup was waiting for her on her front law, trying to catch a snowflake, just like Toothless was doing beside him. Toothless was bouncing up and down, twisting around trying to catch the snowflakes before they joined the millions of other snowflakes covering the ground.

"Look! It's snowing!" Hiccup yelled excitedly, throwing snow up in the air. "So much snow!"

"Finally stopped complaining about the cold?" Astrid said.

"Who cares about the cold when there's snow!"

Hiccup spun around, his natural Newfoundland accent coming out in a tumble of excited words, making it near impossible for Astrid to understand what he was saying.

He stopped after an excited rant, looking towards Astrid as if he expected her to say something.

"What? I didn't catch any of that."

"I was just saying... I was saying..." Suddenly, Hiccup's voice lost its confidence and he looked away, fiddling with his mittens. "Oh nothing."

Astrid smirked and played with a handful of snow. "Are you sure it's nothing?"

Hiccup looked away and that was the opportunity that Astrid needed. She grabbed him by the back of the jacket, shoving a handful of snow down the back of his shirt. Hiccup yelped in pain, jumping around to lose the snow down his shirt. "Astrid!" he complained, shaking to get the rest out. "What was that for?"

She just laughed and clapped her hands in delight. Hiccup scowled at her, but it quickly dissolved into a mischievous smile as he picked up another handful of snow. "Oh, you're in for it."

Astrid laughed and stuck her tongue out at him. "Catch me if you can," she said as she took off across her lawn. Hiccup quickly caught up with her, bringing her down into the snow. Astrid laughed and twisted around, rolling them over and digging her fingers against his sides. Even through his winter jacket, Hiccup started laughing, trying his best to push Astrid off.

"A-as-astrid! St-t-top!" Hiccup wheezed out between laughs.

Her laughter died off as she looked down at Hiccup, she was straddling his hips. As she realized, she stopped tickling him, just resting her hands on his shoulders.

He was laughing, his eyes shut with laughter. After a moment, he opened his eyes and gasped as he realized how close he was to Astrid. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Astrid, I-I-I didn't mean to... oh gods."

Astrid laughed, smiling down at Hiccup. "Hiccup," she said to stop his nervous rambling. "Stop for a moment, okay?"

He stopped for a moment, nodding slightly. Astrid took a breath and leaned down.

"Astrid?"

"Hiccup?"

They were only two inches apart, their breath mingling together in the frosty air. For a moment, neither of them moved, only just lying there in the snow. Finally, Astrid closed the gap and pressed a soft kiss against his lips.

Hiccup's eyes widened before they closed happily, but she pulled away after a moment. "Astrid...?" he mumbled happily, still not opening his eyes.

She laughed and pressed another kiss against his nose. "Get up," she said, getting up off of him.

"Huh?" Hiccup asked, struggling to sit up.

 _Smack._ Hiccup fell down again as Astrid hit him in the chest with a snowball. Astrid laughed happily, smiling as Toothless jumped onto Hiccup, batting at the snow covering his body. Hiccup laughed and tried to push Toothless off of him as Toothless tried to claw his way up Hiccup's scarf. He looked up at Astrid, a large grin spreading across his face.

"Come on, Hiccup, let's go to the rink," Astrid said. "I'll go easy on you."

Hiccup raised an eyebrow. "Go easy on me?"

"Yeah, of course. The Canadiens can never beat the Leafs anyways," Astrid said with a wink.

"Oh, oh, oh. You take that back. The Habs can take on your precious Leafs any day."

"You want to bet on that?"

"I don't need to, I know that."

Astrid pushed him again. "Last one to the rink pays for the hot chocolate!" she yelled as she took off down the road.

"You know the hot chocolate is complementry, right?" Hiccup yelled after her.

She turned back and smiled. "Of course I do."

A smile spread across his lips and he looked down at Toothless who was weaving around his legs. "She's really amazing, isn't she?"

-xx—xx-

A year later, they had settled into a comfortable relationship. On whatever days they could manage to spare, they went to the hockey rink to play a game or two. Now Hiccup and Astrid were seventeen and in their senior year of high school.

Earlier in the day during one of Hiccup's hockey games, he crashed and the pain in his knee was too much for him to stand. Stoick took Hiccup to the hospital and still hadn't contacted Astrid with late afternoon, Astrid gave up on waiting and headed over to Hiccup's house. Stoick's car was in the driveway causing Astrid's heart jump into her throat. They had been home for a little while, judging by the few centimeters of snow piled on top of the hood of the car.

She knocked on the door and it took a moment for Stoick to open the door. As soon as he saw Astrid, relief flooded his face. "Astrid, it's good that you are here."

"Is Hiccup here?" Astrid asked. "He said that he was going to call once he came back from the hospital."

Sorrow flooded his face and Stoick held the door open for Astrid. "He's out back. I think he needs you."

Hiccup was sitting on a bench at the edge of the rink, snow dusting his shoulders, a telltale sign that he had been sitting for a little while. Astrid carefully walked down the snow trodden path towards Hiccup. Toothless, wrapped around Hiccup's feet, looked up and meowed a greeting to Astrid before snuggling closer to Hiccup's legs as if he was trying to keep Hiccup's feet warm.

"Hey Hiccup," Astrid said softly. "Mind if I sit?"

Hiccup didn't answer, only looking away from her across the rink. Carefully, she sat down on the bench beside him, gently brushing off the snow from his shoulders. "Hiccup?"

"Astrid, I don't want to talk about it," Hiccup said quietly.

"Hic—"

"Please. I can't," Hiccup said, squeezing his eyes shut. "I can't. I can't. I can't..."

So Astrid didn't say anything, sitting beside him and waiting for him to say something. Neither of them said anything for a couple of moments, leading Astrid to wonder how long Hiccup had been outside.

Silently, Hiccup stood up, taking his hockey stick in hand as he walked onto the rink. Suddenly, he let out a loud yell, hitting his stick as hard as he could against the ice again and again. Astrid winced at every anguished yell and the cracks of wood against ice, unsure of which would break first, the ice or the stick.

 _Or the boy._

Finally, the hockey stick splintered into two and fell onto the ice with a clatter, Hiccup falling to his knees beside the broken stick. Astrid approached Hiccup, reaching out and placing a hand on his shoulder. Immediately, Hiccup reached towards Astrid, burying himself in her warm arms without a word.

"Whatever it is, Hiccup, you can get though this," Astrid promised, brushing the snow out of his hair before holding him even closer. "I know you can."

"No, I can't," Hiccup whispered, his voice hoarse from the screaming. "I can't. Hockey is all that I had and now I can't. I can't."

"Hiccup?" Astrid asked,

"It's... bone cancer, osteosarcoma, they're going to have to..." Hiccup cut himself with a sob.

Curiosity was killing Astrid, but she just held onto Hiccup, brushing away the tears as they started to freeze on his cheeks. Finally, Astrid said, "What is it, Hiccup?"

Hiccup took a deep, shuddering breath, clutching onto Astrid tightly. "They're going to have to amputate my leg."

Astrid couldn't say anything but, "Oh, Hiccup..."

The flood gates had opened. "I'm going to have to get chemo and if that doesn't going to work, they're going to have to take my leg. Oh god. This can't be happening! Not after what happened to Mom. This isn't going to happen to me, I don't want to... I can't..."

"It's going to be okay," Astrid tried to comfort him. "You're still going to be able to do amazing things even if you don't have a leg."

Hiccup turned to Astrid, fury barely masking the pain that still lingered in his eyes. "Yeah? I can do amazing things? Like what?"

"Like..." Astrid hesitated, trying to think quickly. "Terry Fox also had cancer and look what he did! He ran halfway across the country on half a leg and raised so much hope!"

"But Terry Fox is a hero! He's the kind of person you learn about in school or see on the TV! And I'm not that. I'm far from that kind of hero." Hiccup turned around, silent tears running down his cheeks.

Astrid hesitated for a moment, before quietly saying, "Maybe not, but you'll be my hero."

"But I'm just..." He gestured to himself. "... all of this."

With a smile, Astrid took his hands. "And all of this," she said, "is you." A hesitant smile made its way across his lips and Astrid smiled back. "We're going to get through all of this together," Astrid said, wrapping her arms around him. "Someday, you'll play hockey again. I'm going to make sure of that."

With a smile that only last a second, Hiccup returned the hug wholeheartedly. "Thank you, Astrid," he said as she pulled away.

She smiled. "You're going to make it through this," she said firmly. "I'm going to be there for you, ever step of the way. We're going to play hockey together again very soon. On this rink."

Looking down at their entwined hands, Hiccup asked, "How can you believe like this?"

"The same way I believe that the Leafs will make it to the Stanley Cup someday," Astrid said.

"So like, never?"

Astrid punched Hiccup's arm, making him yelp in protest. "Hey. Take that back."

He nodded, rubbing his arm where she had punched him, the smile still ghosting on his lips, but something in his eyes became uncertain.

Taking his hands again, she put all of her emotion into her voice as she said, "If the Leafs never make it to the Cup means that you will be skating on the rink beside me again, I'm okay with that."

Hiccup laughed, lifting his gaze to meet hers. "Hofferson, that's romantic for you."

"I know, see all of the things I would sacrifice for you?" Astrid said, bringing herself closer to Hiccup. Now that the shock of his diagnosis had worn off, Hiccup now shivered from the cold. "Come on, let's get you out of the cold."

Hiccup gave Astrid a genuine smile as she lead him back towards the house. "Wait," he said as they reached the back step.

"What is it?" Astrid asked, turning to face Hiccup.

Carefully, Hiccup reached up and cupped her cheeks with his cold hands. He carefully leaned forwards and placed a gently kiss on her lips. Astrid smiled into the kiss and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, deepening the kiss.

"You love birds come inside before you catch a cold."

They jumped apart as Stoick's booming voice came through the closed door. "Oh gods, Dad!" Hiccup yelled back, his cheeks turning an even brighter red in the cold.

Astrid laughed and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "Come, let's get inside."

-xx—xx-

Sitting out in his backyard, Hiccup looked at the ice of his hockey rink in front of him. The low February sun reflected off the snow and a unseasonal warm breeze brushed against his cheeks.

Astrid squeezed his hand gently, her skates already laced up and ready to go. "You okay?"

Swallowing hard, Hiccup nodded. "I can do this."

With a smile, Astrid stood up and helped him stand up on his one foot and one prosthetic foot before helping him sit down in the hockey sled. Buckling himself into the seat, Hiccup placed his feet on the foot rest.

He looked up at Astrid beside him who was smiling widely. She held out the two shot hockey sticks to him. "Ready?"

With a smile in return, Hiccup took the sticks. "Ready."

Astrid pushed him onto the ice and for a moment, Hiccup slid with her momentum, but stopped in the centre of the rink. Looking back at her, waiting on the other side of the painted blue line, Hiccup placed the ends of the sticks on the ice and pushed himself towards her.

"Yes! You're doing it!" Astrid clapped her hands happily as Hiccup dragged the sticks on the ground to come to a messy halt beside her.

"Yeah, I guess I am," Hiccup said, his eyes filled with a strange mix of sadness and happiness.

"Hiccup, it's just going to some practice, you have to be patient."

He nodded, adjusting the grip on the sticks again. He pushed them against the ground, sending him gliding across the rink again.

"Turn!" Astrid yelled.

"I'm trying!" Hiccup yelled back. "Oh shit, how do I do that? I can't! Help!"

Astrid quickly took off down the rink and grabbed the back of his jacket, trying to drag him to a stop before he crashed into the goal posts, but unfortunately she couldn't stop them fast enough and she slipped and fell on top of him.

"Ow, Astridddddd," Hiccup moaned underneath her. "You're heavy get off."

Astrid was laughing as she sat back up, but when she looked down at Hiccup, she stopped laughing. "Hiccup, are you okay?"

His shoulders were shaking slightly and his eyes were closed. Astrid was sure if his eyes were open, there would be tears.

"Hiccup? Did I hurt you?" she asked, trying to check him for injuries. "Are you okay?"

He nodded, taking a deep breath before opening his eyes. "It's just so hard..." he whispered. "I've been skating for as long as I can remember. Now... I can't handle a puck, I can't turn, I can't even stop."

With a sympathetic smile, she helped him upright in his sledge. "I'll never be able to imagine what you are going through right now, but I am going to be here for you, I'll help you skate again, I promise. Someday, you'll be the best sledge hockey player, and you'll play on Team Canada in the Paralympics," Astrid said firmly. "It's going to take a long time, but you can do it. We can do it."

"Together... I like the sound of that," Hiccup said with a small smile.

Astrid smiled and gave Hiccup a quick light kiss on his forehead. "Together," she repeated.

Winter in Canada lasts most of the year. The only comfort that Hiccup had is his father, Toothless and hockey.

Now, he could add a brave girl named Astrid Hofferson to the list as well.

* * *

 _I hope you enjoyed this, I will update the next one soon. It's going to get better, lots more Tim's runs, Hiccstrid, hockey, and Haddock Family bonding._ _(btw sledge hockey or para ice hockey is hockey where players sit in a sled with blades on the bottom and propel themselves around with two short hockey sticks which they use to handle the puck as well. Paralympics is an important international event that doesn't get enough media coverage and attention compared to the Olympics.) Please follow, favourite, and comment!_

 _Happy Canada 150, everyone!_


	2. Power of You and I

_Happy Thanksgiving, Canadians! Anyways, thank you for the enthusiasm and support on this story! So many fellow Canadians, HI! Sorry for not updating since Canada Day, since then I got a job, started university, and I... did stuff..._

 _I am straying from the original order of the one shots that I posted at the beginning of the story, I'll finish Game Face and post it next. I'll alternate between writing J'Imagine and No Cannon Shall Sink This Ship, so between those two I might update sooner, but between school and work, yeah, might be a little while._

 _Another fun Canada fact before the story starts: the Canadian Mint made quarters for Remembrance Day with coloured poppies on it and when US officials came to Canada and got these quarters, they thought the coloured poppies were some kind of listening device. Also for Canada 150, the Canada Mint made a toonie that glows in the dark!_

 _Okay! Onto the story!_

* * *

 _3: Power of you and I_

Hiccup as sitting on the couch, quietly reading a book, listening to music through headphones. Astrid smiled as she walked up to Hiccup without him noticing, too engrossed in his book and his music. She lifted off one side of his headphones and said, " _Excusez-moi où est la sale de bain_?"

Hiccup laughed and lowered the headphones to around his neck. "You know that you just asked me where the bathroom is, right?"

Astrid shrugged as she sat down beside him, holding her own book. "It's been four years since my last French class," Astrid said, sitting down beside him. "Don't blame me."

"Well," he said, "I think your French is sexy, _mon brave_."

With a smile, Astrid asked, "Mon brahve?" trying to mimic Hiccup's accent, "What does that mean?"

Blushing, Hiccup mumbled, "My brave."

"Oh..." Astrid settled down, using Hiccup's thighs as a pillow and lifting up her book.

"Wait, you don't like it or something?" Hiccup asked, pushing down her book so that he could see her.

"No, I like it," Astrid said. "But I like 'milady' better."

"That is contrary to the first time I called you that," Hiccup said, recalling how she punched him hard.

She shook her head. "I like it... _mon brave_."

Hiccup blushed and kissed her forehead. "And I like that too, milady."

Hiccup hummed happily, brushing back her hair with one hand, switching to Toothless when Toothless meowed in protest and clawed at his hand. He started humming a song softly, but a moment later, he sighed and stopped.

"Why are you stopping?" Astrid asked. "Your voice is nice."

Hiccup looked down at her with a smile. "I live for these moments," he said. "No nausea, no chemo, no pain..."

"No pain is probably from the millions of painkillers you're on right now."

Hiccup laughed and shook his head. "Minimal amount of painkillers," he corrected.

"Whatever you say."

Smiling, Hiccup continued, "I live for these moments when I feel... when I feel like I can actually win this."

"Win? Is this a game to you?"

Hiccup shrugged. "I'm fighting so hard for you and Dad, but maybe at times, I need to look at all of this that way to find something in myself to push even more."

Astrid smiled and relaxed against him. "Hiccup verses Cancer, what a game, ladies and gentlemen, game of the century. Who do you think is going to win?" she said in a mock announcer voice.

"This one game that I am not going to lose," Hiccup said firmly.

"And I believe you," Astrid said. "What's the score now?"

Hiccup shrugged. "I think they got the first point when I was diagnosed," he said. "I'm not sure when I'm going to get a goal."

"I know how you can even the score." Astrid reached up and pulled him down for a kiss.

Hiccup smiled into the kiss and tried to follow her as she pulled away. Astrid smiled at the action and gave him a quick peck. "I believe now that makes the score 1:1."

Hiccup opened his eyes. "Just because of you?"

"You get a point because I love you," Astrid said, bringing him down for another kiss.

 _Hiccup: 1. Cancer: 1._

 _..._

Stoick woke up in the middle of the night to some strange sounds. Deciding to go investigate, Stoick opened the door to his bed room and saw the light in the bathroom on.

"Hiccup?" he called out, knocking on the door. "Are you decent in there?"

There was a small pause and a couple of sniffles before Hiccup called back, "Yeah, I'm okay."

"I'm coming in."

"Wait! No!"

It was too late as Stoick pushed open the door. Hiccup was sitting on the ground and as Stoick entered the bathroom, Hiccup buried his face in his hands. "Dad, please, go away."

"What is wrong, Hiccup?" Stoick asked, putting his hand on his shoulder. "Are you okay?"

Slowly, Hiccup shook his head, not meeting Stoick's gaze.

"What is it? Are you hurt?" Stoick asked, checking over Hiccup's body for anything.

Hiccup pushed Stoick off. "It's nothing like that," he said quietly.

"Then what is it?"

Slowly Hiccup raised his hand to his head. He ran his fingers through his hair and chunks of brown hair fell out.

"Oh Hiccup," Stoick said, raising his hand to run a hand through his hair like he always did, but stopping himself before he did. "The doctors told you that this could happen."

"Yeah... but it doesn't seem real until now."

Stoick pressed a kiss against Hiccup's forehead. "I'm sure it does," he said. "Here, I'll help you wrap your head so that hair doesn't fall out while you're in bed, okay?"

Hiccup nodded slightly, allowing Stoick to help him up to his feet. As Stoick wrapped Hiccup's head in a cloth, Hiccup closed his eyes as his shoulders shook with sobs.

When Stoick finished, he turned Hiccup around and hugged him tightly. "It's going to be okay," he reassured him. "Don't worry about it."

Hiccup tried to nod, but tears rushed down his cheeks. Stoick tightened his grip, though mindful of not squishing his son. "Want to sleep in the big bed tonight?"

Silently, Hiccup nodded against Stoick's large body, allowing Stoick to bring him to his bedroom and help him under the covers. Stoick watched as Hiccup lay on his side, not closing his eyes, staring blankly at the ceiling.

"Can't sleep?" Stoick asked as he settled down in his bed.

Hiccup grunted, giving a short shrug as he turned away to that side that used to be Valka's. "Could... you tell me about Mom?" he said, his voice so soft that Stoick could barely hear it.

Stoick smiled at the mention of his wife. "Oh, she was beautiful. She was the kindest woman, such a brave and kind woman."

"I miss her, Dad," Hiccup mumbled, his voice tight with emotion.

"I know. I do too."

..

The next morning, Hiccup sat on the stool in the bathroom as Stoick shaved off the rest of his hair. As locks of hair fell down around him, Hiccup kept his eyes fixed firmly on his hands, trying to avoid looking at his falling hair.

"There we go," Stoick said, putting down the razor and taking off the cloth around Hiccup's shoulders. "All done."

Hiccup raised his eyes to look at his reflection in the mirror. For a moment, he studied his reflection, eyes blood shot from crying and head now shinny and hairless.

"I look ridiculous," Hiccup said softly.

"Hiccup," Stoick reprimanded.

He stood up without looking at Stoick. "Thanks, Dad," he said hollowly. Hiccup cast one more look at the mirror, a deep tugging at his gut hating the reflection. "Hiccup: 1. Cancer: 2," he mumbled.

"What's that?" Stoick asked.

"Nothing," Hiccup said louder. "Call me when supper's ready."

Stoick watched sadly as Hiccup limped into his room, his heart breaking for his child. Suddenly an idea popped into his head and he hurried to his phone, dialing a number.

..

"Hiccup! Supper's ready!"

Hiccup sighed and lifted the pillow high enough off his head to yell out, "I'm not hungry!"

"Hiccup! Come down for supper!"

He closed his eyes and sighed. "I'll eat later."

"Harold Haddock. Come down for supper. Now!"

Wincing at his full name, Hiccup dragged himself up and put his Canadiens bunnyhug, hitching up the hood to cover his head, but as he entered the kitchen, he stopped, completely stunned.

Astrid was sitting at the kitchen table, her hair completely shaved. As she saw him come into the kitchen, she smiled and stood up to greet him. "What do you think?"

"Y-you-your h-hair," Hiccup stammered, his hand lifting to her head. "What happened?"

"Your father called me and told me what happened," Astrid said, running her hands over his head. "I wanted to show support."

Hiccup turned pink and looked over at his dad who was beaming happily. "Dad..."

Stoick smiled and placed his hand on Hiccup's shoulder. "If you think you look ridiculous, what do you think I would look like?"

"Dad?"

Stoick chuckled and handed Hiccup a razor. "It's my turn."

Hiccup looked between the razor in his hand to his dad. "What?"

"I just did yours, you can do mine." Stoick sat down in a chair in front of Hiccup. "I think I would like to keep the beard though, it is Movember after all," Stoick said, stroking his beard. "Other than that, go ahead."

Hiccup smiled uncertainly before putting the razor to Stoick's head. At first, Hiccup was tense, unsure if this was a dream, but then half way through, Hiccup relaxed and laughed, smiling freely as Stoick and Astrid talked and joked with him as he shaved off the rest of Stoick's hair.

"Done," Hiccup said, putting down the razor.

"Thank you, son," Stoick said as he stood up, some of his joints popping. He looked at his reflection in the mirror, mockingly doing a pose for the two teenagers.

Astrid and Hiccup laughed as Stoick scooped them into his arms. "We must look like quite the sight," he said, running his hand over Hiccup's head.

Hiccup smiled at his dad. "Thanks, Dad."

 _Hiccup: 2. Cancer: 2._

...

"I'm going. I'm going," Hiccup insisted. "I'm not going to miss this."

Astrid sighed, patting Hiccup's back. It was just a hour before their Winter Formal, a dance for the seniors at the school. Hiccup had just had a round of chemo the day before. He had assured Astrid over and over again that he would be going, but now he was crippled by waves of nausea. He couldn't get off the floor without vomiting again. They had been sitting in the bathroom for twenty minutes, Hiccup insisting that he was okay, Astrid arguing that he wasn't, and Toothless sitting patiently in Hiccup's lap as he bent over the toilet, waiting for the nausea to fade. "Babe, you're puking. You aren't going."

Hiccup shook his head, hanging his head over the toilet. "Astrid, it's our Winter Formal. I'm going."

"Hiccup," Astrid said, seizing Hiccup's chin to make him look at her. Ignoring the smell of vomit on his breath, she sternly said, "You're staying at home."

Tears filled Hiccup's eyes and he whimpered. "I'm not going to let the cancer control my whole life. I am going to this dance."

Astrid held out her hands as Hiccup tried to stand up again, ready to catch him when he fell, which he did a second later, lurching forward and vomiting whatever he could into the toilet again.

"Hiccup, you aren't going." The two turned around to find Stoick blocking the door. "You clearly aren't feeling well."

"Dad," Hiccup complained. "Please..."

"No, Hiccup."

"Fine," Hiccup breathed in defeat. "I won't go."

Stoick gave a sympathetic smile. "I'll go get you Gatorade," he said. "Try to get to your bed, okay?"

Hiccup nodded slowly as Stoick left to the kitchen. "Astrid," he said quietly. "Go to the dance."

She blinked in surprise. "What?"

"Go to Formal," he said, finally raising his eyes to meet her eyes. "I don't want you to miss it because of me."

"I'm not going to leave you when you're feeling this bad," Astrid said.

"No," Hiccup said. "Just go. You only get one winter formal and you've worked so hard during high school not to go."

"You've worked hard too, don't you deserve to go?"

Hiccup laughed and pushed her. "Just go. Don't worry about me. I have Toothless," he said, lifting up his cat.

Astrid laughed and kissed his forehead, grimacing at the sweat on his brow. "Take a shower."

"Okay," he said with a smile. "Go. Have fun."

"I'll be back after the dance, okay?"

"Take your time," Hiccup said, waving her away.

She stood up and looked back before she left the bath room.

Hiccup looked so small and pale curled up on the bathroom floor. Stoick came into the bathroom, nodding to Astrid. "I'll take care of him."

Astrid nodded and left the house without her date to the Formal.

Cancer won this match.

 _Hiccup: 2. Cancer: 3._

..

"Want to dance?"

At the dance, Astrid was standing on the side of the dance floor when Snotlout came up to her and offered a dance. Astrid wrinkled her nose at Snotlout. "You know I'm dating your cousin, right?"

"Yeah, of course," he said with a roll of his eyes. "I'm not trying to hit on you. You just look so sulky without that stick of a boyfriend. I thought I would offer."

She smiled and nodded, allowing Snotlout to lead her out onto the floor. She placed her hands on his shoulders as he held her waist, a respectful distance between them.

"I'm sorry that Hiccup couldn't make it," Snotlout said, sincerity in his voice. "I know how much Hiccup was looking forward to this."

"Yeah," Astrid said, looking down at the ground. "It was too bad that he had chemo."

They danced in silence for a little while, Astrid staring at a spot over his head, imagining Hiccup there instead.

"So... I'm a pretty good date, aren't I?" Snotlout said.

"Oh shut up, Jorgenson," Astrid said, looking back at him. "I'll very much rather be dancing with Hiccup."

Snotlout smiled and said, "Then turn around."

She glanced over her shoulder and gasped in surprise. Hiccup was limping into the gym, holding a carnation in one hand. He still looked a bit pale and his clothes were a bit ruffled, but it was him.

"Hiccup!" Not caring that she knocked over a couple of other people as she rushed through the crowd, she threw her arms around Hiccup. He grunted in surprise, trying to catch his balance, but falling down flat on his back. He was laughing as Astrid planted a kiss on his lips before hugging him fiercely. "You're here! You came!"

Hiccup returned her embrace just as tightly. "Of course I came," he said. "I wouldn't miss it for the world."

..

As the dance ended, Hiccup helped Astrid into her jacket before struggling with his own. She smiled and helped him put on his jacket.

"You heading home?" Astrid asked as she straightened the collar of his jacket.

"Let's not go home right now," Hiccup said. "and don't worry, I will tell you when I feel too sick."

"Okay, where do you want to go?" Astrid asked.

A hour later, they were sitting in a Tim Horton's with their usual orders. With a box of Timbits, they had their drinks, Hiccup had a hot chocolate while Astrid had a double-double.

"What did you win?" Hiccup asked as Astrid pulled up the rim with her teeth.

"'Please play again'," Astrid said, putting the cup back on the table. "What about you?"

Hiccup smiled smugly, holding up his cup. "It's a win. Free coffee," he said, ripping off the lip of the cup. He stopped for a moment before holding it out to Astrid. "Here, you have it."

Astrid smiled as she took it. "You know, ordinary boys give their girlfriends things like flowers or jewelry instead a free coffee that they won from Roll Up the Rim."

"Well, milady, we're much different than ordinary boys and girlfriends," Hiccup said, selecting a jelly filled Timbit out of the box.

"Yes, we are," Astrid agreed, stealing the Timbit from him.

 _Hiccup: 3. Cancer: 3._

 _..._

"Ready?" Astrid asked.

Hiccup smiled and took her hand. "Yeah, of course."

They were getting ready for the Terry Fox run, the annual event to raise money for cancer research in honour of Terry Fox, a Canadian hero, who tried to run across Canada to raise money for cancer research on one leg. For the first time in a little while, Hiccup wore shorts, showing off his prosthetic leg as if the same as Terry Fox's.

"Oh, your shoe is untied," Astrid said and bent down to tie his shoe for him. Hiccup smiled at the top of her head affectionately and the dreamy smile didn't leave his face as she stood up.

"What is it?"

Hiccup shook his head and pressed a quick kiss on her forehead. "You're beautiful," he said simply.

Astrid smiled and returned his kiss quickly. "Come on, let's go."

Hiccup and Astrid lined up at the starting line. It was a quick route down through downtown and down the river.

 _Tweet!_

A whistle blew and slowly, the crowd started to move forward, some running, some walking.

"Wouldn't it be cool to go see Mile 0?" Astrid said as they started off at a slow jog for Astrid and a quick pace for Hiccup.

"I've been to Mile 0 many times," Hiccup commented.

"Really?" Astrid said. "Oh right, you Newfie."

Hiccup smiled. "I'll take you there someday then," he decided. "We can go to the Mile 0 landmark and L'Anse aux Meadows too."

"To see the Vikings?" Astrid said with a teasing smile.

"Of course!" Hiccup said. "And while we're there, I can dip my leg in the Atlantic, just like Terry Fox did."

"He did that at the beginning of his marathon," Astrid pointed out.

"Yeah because when we go, it'll be the beginning of our marathon, our adventure together."

Astrid smiled. "You are such a weird romantic."

"I'll add that to my Tinder profile."

Astrid snorted and pushed him away, sprinting off before he could recover.

"Hey! This is no fair!" Hiccup yelled after her, limping unevenly after her.

Astrid did slow down and the two of them finished the run together. The end of the run was at the park by the river where the bank of the river slopped down gently to meet the river.

"Hiccup!"

Hiccup turned around and saw his seven foot father coming through the crowd quite easily. "Dad? What are you doing here? I thought you were at work."

Stoick was beaming as he handed Hiccup an envelope. "This is from your doctor."

Hiccup took the envelope, looking between his dad and Astrid. He scanned over the words on the paper, his eyes settling on words near the bottom. "Oh god..."

His legs gave out from underneath him and Astrid caught him on the way down. He wasn't sure if he was laughing or if he was crying, a strange combination of a desperate laugh and a cry, he looked up from Astrid's arms to look at Stoick, his eyes filled with tears as he said shakily, "Is this true? Is this real?"

Stoick smiled, tears in his own eyes, and nodded. "Of course it is, you're officially in remission."

Hiccup could never again describe the feeling that flooded him. All of his happiness concentrated into a warm ball expanding his chest, filling his skinny frame until he couldn't hold it in. He burst into tears again, burying his face into Astrid's shoulder, crying happily. His father knelt down beside him, rubbing his back. "It's over, Hiccup," he said. "It's all over."

Hiccup laughing, tears still pouring down his cheeks.

He stood on shaky legs, Stoick and Astrid beside him. Taking a deep breath, he looked up at the sky and smiled. He let out a wordless scream of joy, running down to the edge of the river. "YOU THOUGHT YOU BEAT ME? NO!" he yelled to the sky. He wasn't sure who he was yelling to, he didn't believe in a god, but in all games, there are winners and losers, and in that moment, Hiccup was sure that he won. He needed his opponent to know that he won. "I'M STILL STANDING! I'M IN REMISSION! YOU HEAR ME! YOU LOST! I WIN!" Hiccup paused for a moment to catch his breath before yelling again, "I WON!"

Astrid was smiling as she approached him, joining him ankle deep in the river. "It's over."

"It's over," Hiccup repeated. He lifted Astrid up and Astrid laughed as he swung her around in a circle, but he underestimated the momentum and they crashed into the shallow water. Astrid laughed and tried to push herself off of him, but Hiccup held her close and placed a sound kiss on her lips.

"It's over," he whispered, resting his head on the ground. "It's over. It's really over. I won."

...

Five years later, in early April, the snow hadn't all melted yet, but the warm winds had blown in. Hiccup was sitting on the bench beside where he used to have a hockey rink in the winter.

Astrid approached him and stopped in front of him, kneeling down so that she could be in his line of view. "Hey, babe, how are you holding up?"

Hiccup opened his eyes and immediately tears filled his eyes as he saw her, mirrored by tears in her eyes as well. He took her hands and whispered, "I love you, Astrid. I love you so much."

Astrid laughed shakily and brought his hand up to her lips to kiss his knuckles. "It's going to be okay, Hiccup," she said.

"No, it's not," Hiccup said. "They said... the doctor said..."

He couldn't finish his sentence as the doctor's voice echoed in his ears. _"I'm sorry, Harold, the cancer is terminal. There's nothing that we can do this time."_

Even though his cancer had been in remission for years, recently, Hiccup had chest pains. The other day, Hiccup while home alone had so severe chest pains that he collapsed. When Astrid came home to find him unable to move and barely breathing, she rushed him to the hospital where the doctors had diagnosed him: terminal lung cancer.

Hiccup let out a quiet sob and Astrid quickly hushed him, moving to sit on the bench beside him. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, letting him cry into her chest until he was all cried out.

Finally, his emotions steadied and looking up, Hiccup tried to smile at Astrid, though tears filled his eyes again. "I was going to ask you to marry me," he whispered. "We were supposed to start our life together."

Her eyes widened in surprise and her mouth moved wordlessly as she tried to find something to say. After a moment, she asked, "Are you still asking me to marry you?"

Hiccup shook his head. "It'll be unfair to you to marry a dying person. All I want to know... if I had asked... if I wasn't dying... would you have said yes?"

She didn't say anything for a moment. "How would you have asked?"

Picking at the knees of his jeans, Hiccup mumbled, "It was stupid... maybe it was better that it didn't happen."

"Come on, Hiccup, just tell me," Astrid said. "Anything you come up with is always amazing."

Quickly, Hiccup tried to brush away tears and swallowed past the lump in his throat. "After wowing you with dinner and the evening out, I was going to take you home and I planned to dance with you and wait for a good moment to ask you."

"Dance to which song?"

Hiccup hesitated for a moment before pulling out his phone and started playing a playlist. "All of these songs are songs that makes me think of you," he said, his cheeks turning bright red in embarrassment.

Astrid smiled, taking the phone from his hand and starting the music, and helped him up to his feet.

"Astrid, what are you doing?" Hiccup asked.

"Dancing with you," Astrid said, placing her hands around Hiccup's neck. "Just like you wanted."

Hiccup smiled and wrapped both arms around her, holding her tightly as they swayed to the music together. Astrid smiled and rested her cheek against Hiccup's chest, swaying with him to the music. "Just so you know... if you would had asked, I would've said yes."

Hiccup tucked Astrid under his chin, holding her close to his chest. "I know," he whispered, closing his eyes. "Thank you."

...

Cancer may have won, but everything Hiccup did, and everyone Hiccup loved claimed Hiccup as the real victor of Life's game.

* * *

 _Thanks for reading! If you have any suggestions on what you want to happen, more Tim's runs, more hockey games, or anything, please feel free to request it!_

 _And just wondering, how many people know Terry Fox? As a Canadian I learned all about him as I grew up, and then I saw a post on tumblr asking if httyd was the first place people learned what a prosthetic was, and bc Terry Fox was a constant hero I learned about I knew about prosthetics way before httyd, so I'm just wondering if people know about Terry Fox. Tell me in review!_

 _Thank you! Please review if you can!_

 _Happy Thanksgiving!_


	3. Game 7

_Boo. I'm back. I seriously wanted to write for the longest time, but series of life events prevented me to do so. BTW slight URL change on tumblr and consequently here, but like who remembers my old one bc it's very long so it becomes a string of letters at one point or the other. (follow me on tumblr at the same url as my pen name)_

 _In this chapter, FYI: you need some background knowledge on the Stanley Cup playoffs, the only thing that I think you need to know is that the finals of the Stanley Cup is a best of seven games and the Toronto Leafs haven't won the Stanley Cup since 1967. Also I refer to "Murdoch Mysteries" in the middle, which is a detective TV show about a Toronto detective in the late 1800s/early1900s. Many famous Canadian actors have been on that show and man I really want Jay Baruchel to guest star next season. Good show, gay characters, fun times, it's on Netflix, give it a watch._

 _SADNESS WARNING: It gets sad, and character death. but like the next chapter will be cute and nice and fun, but for now, sadness._

 _Please remember to comment and follow, I'll update sooner than last time._

* * *

 _3: Game 7_

Astrid returned home.

Alone.

Returning to the bedroom, she reached under the bed and pulled out a box. In the box, there was one end of the a splintered hockey stick, the stub from a Roll Up the Rim coffee cup, and a small velvet box. All memories from Hiccup, memories that now were too painful to think of. Maybe some day, she'll be able to look back on the memories with a smile. Now, tears tracked down her face and carefully, she placed the unused tickets on top, adding one more memory to be forgotten for now.

Closing the box, she slid it under the bed, never to see it again.

-xx—xx-

Hiccup opened his eyes slowly.

The room was peaceful, his heartbeat beating steadily with the beeping of the monitor, and the small TV in the corner was on, an announcer excitedly reporting the current Stanley Cup playoffs. As the reporter called out that the Rangers scored against the Leafs, Hiccup looked around the rest of the room, smiling as he saw Astrid was sitting beside his bed, reading a textbook. To him, Astrid looked absolutely lovely. Her blonde hair framed her face, falling out of its braid, as she tapped her pencil against the edge of her textbook. Hiccup watched Astrid for a couple of moments, watching her clear blue eyes flicker over the page as she read the notes. A couple of moments later, Astrid sighed, closing her textbook. Looking up, she smiled as she saw Hiccup awake. "Hey, babe, how are you feeling?"

Hiccup smiled and sighed in happiness as she brushed his thin hair out of his eyes, kissing his forehead. "You look beautiful," he whispered, taking her hand as she sat down next to him on the bed.

She smiled and lifted his hand to gently kiss his fingers. "Thank you," she said with a smile. For a moment, they sat together, just enjoying each other's company and listening to the hockey game on the TV.

"I can't believe that the Leafs actually made it to the playoffs, even if it's the first round," she said softly. "Game 3, and they've only lost two, maybe they have a chance."

Hiccup laughed, though his laughter died off into coughs. Astrid smiled, happy that she managed to make him smile. He rested his head against her shoulder and she wrapped her arms around him, planting a kiss against his forehead.

In silence, they watched the game, the players racing across the ice and the crowd cheering. It was nearly half time when suddenly Hiccup spoke up. "Toothless likes baths, nice warm ones, especially on days he's outside when it's cold. He also loves salmon and maybe an occasional piece of cod or shrimp. Don't forget that he loves to be rubbed under the chin and –"

"Hiccup, why are you telling me this?"

"I just want to make sure you know all of this before..."

Astrid shook her head. "I know everything. So please... just stop talking."

He didn't stay silent for very long. "You need to find someone after I'm gone."

"Hiccup, that makes no sense."

"No. Astrid. This is important. I need you to hear this," Hiccup said, pulling himself out of her arms so that he could look into her eyes directly. "Through all of this, the only thing that has made it bearable is you. You. Someone that I love, would've protected through everything, someone that I wanted to marry someday. There's going to be a day long, long, long time from now when you're going to be... dying as well. I want you to have someone beside you, holding onto you, kissing you, hoping and praying that you won't die. I want so badly that could be me, but it seems like it won't be, so I want you to find someone who can love you and who you can love to. I'm going to be happy for you no matter what. I love you and I want you to be happy and to be loved."

"You loved me. That's all I need," Astrid said, tears brimming in her eyes. "I can't imagine loving anyone as much as I love you."

"Astrid—"

"No!" She reached into her bag and pulled out an envelope. "Look. I bought us tickets to the Stanley Cup," she said her tone angry, but it was weakened by tears in her eyes. "You are coming to this game with me. You are coming to this game!"

Hiccup sighed and dropped his gaze. "But... Astrid... I really love this, but... I'm not going to be able to go to this game, you know that."

Astrid covered her mouth with one hand, trying to stop the tears. "Harold Haddock—"

"Don't tell me to hope. I can't stand this talk of hope any more," Hiccup said quietly, but it was like the loudest shout to her. "I can't find it in me to hope for anything any more. I can't find hope to live any more..."

Tears burned in Astrid's eyes, but she pushed them away. "But you're going to live. You're going to come back home with me to your—our house. Toothless is going to be there, Stormfly is going to be there. You're going to _live._

 _"_ Someday, we'll have kids! When he's born, you're going to hold him and count all of his little tiny toes and make some bad joke about how you only have five when he as ten. We're going to watch him grow up and you're going to love him to pieces. He's going to grow up so fast that the day when he's off to college is going to here just like that. Then our life together can start. We can travel the world or we can stay at home with each together. We're going to grow old together. We can be together, and that's what matters.

"There's always going to be an Astrid and Hiccup. You're going to _live._ You... _have_ to live..." Astrid took in a shaky breath and pressed her lips against Hiccup's forehead. "Promise?"

There was a pause as Hiccup worked to swallow the lump in his throat. He felt a flash of regret at his moment of selfishness, which had upset Astrid as now tears slowly fell down her cheeks. Trying to fix his wrong, he reached up to return her kiss. "I can't promise, but I'll try my best."

Astrid smiled, brushing away her tears. "That's all I'm asking for."

-xx—xx-

 _"_ _Don't let go, Daddy!"_

 _"_ _It'll be fine, Hiccup. Steady on your feet."_

 _"_ _I'm right here, Hiccup, don't worry, I will catch you."_

 _Three year old Hiccup teetered unsteadily across the ice and a big grin spread across his face as he landed safely in his father's arms._

 _"_ _Good job, Hiccup!" Stoick looks up to the person behind the camera. "Valka, we have our very own hockey star on our hands."_

 _"_ _The best hockey player in Canada."_

 _"_ _In the world, Mummy!"_

 _"_ _Of course, in the world, Hiccup."_

Astrid smiled as she watched an old home video of the Haddocks when they lived in Newfoundland. Hiccup was only three years old and his parents were teaching him how to skate on their own rink in their backyard. Little Hiccup was bundled up tightly from his tuque to his snow pants, so even when he fell on his behind, it didn't hurt at all.

As the home video finished, the next video was a recent one, from when Hiccup got his first prosthetic skate. Astrid helped him relearn how to skate, and Stoick got the idea stuck in his head to film the whole thing.

 _"_ _Ah fuck!"_

 _"_ _Language, Hiccup."_

 _"_ _As if you give two fucks about a strong word," Hiccup retorted as he accepted Astrid's helping hand off the ice._

 _"_ _And as if you have ever given a strong word because you landed on your ass on the ice."_

 _"_ _Yeah, I know, it's just... this stupid thing," Hiccup said quietly, shaking his left foot with the prosthesis attached. "It's different."_

 _"_ _It's just learning how to balance on the ice again."_

 _"_ _Someday I'll be fast as you again."_

 _"_ _In your dreams, Haddock, you could never beat me in the first place."_

Astrid threw down her phone and rubbed her hand across her eyes, willing herself not to cry in the middle of a Tim Hortons. She was waiting in the Tim's around the corner from the hospital for visiting hours to start. She wasn't sure what made her watch the home videos, maybe a little bit of nostalgia mixed too much wistful thinking.

It had only been less than a day since she had last seen Hiccup, but she already missed him. Every single moment apart was filled with anxiety as she worried that Hiccup passed away without her beside him, but every day, she would return and Hiccup would be there for her.

But for how long?

Quickly wiping away the last of the tears, she picked up her things and headed towards the exit. Stopping by a garbage can, she drained the rest of her coffee and rolled up the rim of her cup.

 _Please play again / Réessayez S.V.P_

Angrily, she threw the cup into the trashcan. Taking two steps, she had to stumble to a near by bench to collect herself.

Why was she so angry at loosing at Roll Up the Rim? Why did she miss Hiccup as if she was a love sick teenager? What was she going to do without Hiccup?

Taking deep breaths, she opened her eyes to look at the blue sky. Just one thing at a time. First priority: Hiccup.

There were good days and bad days. Sometimes Hiccup would be in so much pain that he would be high on painkillers and all he could do is lay in bed, resting. The good days were far apart and few in number, but those days, Astrid could nearly imagine it was before Hiccup's relapse. Nearly is the operative word. He was still skinny as a stick, his thin limbs poking out from under his hospital robe as he lay on the too small hospital bed. But still on the good days, Hiccup would smile at Astrid as if nothing was wrong and she would smile back, because she's happy at least in this moment.

This day, it was a good day. As Astrid came into the room, he was sitting up in the bed, slowly picking through a bland hospital meal.

"Astrid!" he said happily, reaching out to hug her.

"Hey, babe," Astrid said, leaning down for the hug and kissed his cheek. Hiccup didn't let go right away, just pressing his nose against her neck, breathing in deeply.

"You went for Tim's?"

"Sorry, is that bothering you?" Previously, Hiccup had reacted badly to some scents, Astrid's coconut shampoo made him feel severely nauseous, enough for Astrid to switch shampoo that very day. She wouldn't be surprised if the strong smell of coffee would upset his stomach. Astrid tried to pull away, but Hiccup just tightened his grip.

"No. It's fine," Hiccup said, burying his nose more deeply into her shoulder. "It's like before..."

"I'm sorry, babe," Astrid said, kissing his forehead as she helped him lay down again. Hiccup groaned and Astrid quickly pressed the morphine pump for him.

"Thank you, milady," Hiccup said as she mopped the sweat of his face.

She smiled and kissed his cheek. "Let's watch something before the game starts," she suggested. "What do you want to watch?"

"Anything," Hiccup said, his voice soft, but he was not watching the TV, instead just staring at Astrid as she picked up the remote.

After flicking through channels, she found an rerun of Murdoch Mysteries. She settled down on the bed next to Hiccup, slipping under Hiccup and leaning his head on her shoulder. They watched the episode in silence for a little while until Astrid commented, "I like him," about one of the characters, Constable Crabtree.

"Does he remind you of anyone you know?" Hiccup said, striking a pose the best he could as he was attached to IV lines and was weak as a kitten.

"Hmmm... brown hair... funny... charming Newfoundland accent..." Astrid mused. "Nah. Nobody I know of."

"Hey!" Hiccup shoved Astrid.

She laughed and kissed his hand. "Okay, who do you like?"

"She's hot." Hiccup nodded towards Dr Ogden.

"Oh wow, you definitely have a type," Astrid teased.

"Yes, I do."

"Blonde and tall."

"Nope. Smart, caring, fiercely independent and kick ass."

"Don't you forget the last one," Astrid said, giving him a small squeeze on his shoulder.

"Never, milady."

They settled down against each other until the episode ended and the game started.

"Couple of more weeks until we get to go to the game," Astrid said.

Hiccup smiled. "I can't wait."

But as the Stanley Cup playoffs continued, Hiccup's health continued to slowly decline. The finals started, Hiccup's lungs started to rattle. The Leafs had made it to the finals, playing against the Oilers, while Hiccup fought with alternating periods of alertness and dementia.

It was a new morning in June and this was the day that Death came and told them, "It's time."

Astrid and Hiccup spent the day quietly. Astrid held his hand tightly as if when she would let go, she would be letting go of Hiccup forever. Visiting hours were over hours ago, but the hospital staff let her stay until the end.

The last moment of clarity came and Astrid told Hiccup over and over again that she loved him, but the only thing that Hiccup could think to say was, "The blue line..."

Astrid brushed her hand against his forehead. "What do you mean?"

"On the hockey rink... behind the blue line you're safe..." Hiccup whispered. "Home turf..."

"Yeah."

Tears burned in his eyes and he closed his eyes. "I'm nearly back at the blue line... I'm so tired..."

"I know you are... I know you are," Astrid whispered. "You are my hero, heroes fight so hard. It's okay if you need to... stop fighting now. I understand.

Hiccup nodded shakily and reached out to take Astrid's hand again. "For you, milady, I would've fought everything. I would've protected you from everything."

"I know," Astrid said with a watery smile. "I don't need you to fight for me anymore. I can look after myself."

Closing his eyes, Hiccup whispered, "But I _wanted_ to be there for you."

"And I wanted for you to be there beside me for a long time," Astrid answered, kissing his hand gently. "I wanted to take care of you through happy days, sad days, ugly days and beautiful days, but your mom and dad will take care of you now. You don't need to fight anymore."

Hiccup felt Astrid press a kiss against his lips once more as she said, "I love you so much, Hiccup."

He so badly wanted to open his eyes once more to see Astrid's beautiful face, to look into her eyes and tell her once more with all of his heart, soul, and dying body, that he loved her.

Astrid seemed to know what Hiccup was trying to do as she hugged him closer and whispered, "You'll be able to tell me that you love me many, many, many times when we are together again. It's okay, Hiccup, I'm going to miss you so, so, so much until I see you again, but it's okay. I understand why you have to leave. I love you, Hiccup Haddock, see you on the other side."

The blue line beeped and then steadied before disappearing into a thin line.

-xx—xx-

Fate is too cruel. Leafs would lose to the Oilers in Game 7. The tickets to the game remained unused. Hiccup would pass away after fighting so hard for months and years.

Fate had decided from the very beginning that this is how his story ends.

Just some things were never meant to be.


End file.
